We’ve spoken with several conservative legislators the last couple of days. We are incensed that NONE of the independent gun rights groups were invited to the Abbott table and that our conservative legislators were shut out of the conversation too. When gun control advocates leave the Governor’s meeting high-fiving each other, you know there’s a reason for concern.

In short order, we will plan a Coalition effort with conservative legislators to stand against erosion of gun rights and to support laws already on the books that are not being enforced. We support school safety, but we do not support criminalizing lawful gun-owners in the process.

The following is our initial read on Governor Abbott’s May 30, 2018 School and Firearm Safety Action Plan:

1) His proposal creates a de facto mandatory storage law and makes every gun owner a potential felon.

2) His proposal makes it a potential felony to store a gun in your automobile.

3) His proposal will make it a potential felony to make firearms accessible to you or your properly-trained teenagers in the case of an emergency.

4) His proposal effectively outlaws unsupervised shooting by anyone under the age of 18, regardless of training or ability.

We are also concerned with potential “red flag” laws that could target gun owners on an anonymous tip, allowing judges to temporarily seize an individual’s firearms if that person is considered an imminent threat. If a citizen speaks against a tax increase or a bond election, would local officials consider that citizen an imminent threat? What about citizens who hold prayer vigils outside abortion clinics or groups who hold Tax Day rallies? Oh, yes indeed, some officials would call that an imminent threat in a heartbeat!

Other language in the plan approaches criminalization of gun owners if they fail to report a missing firearm in a specified government- mandated time frame.

We will oppose any legislation that makes it harder for citizens to use their firearms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense.